Aquaculture efforts now paying off

Aquaculture, the cultivation of aquatic plants and animals, is also part of the farming picture in Essex County.

The Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center at Salem State College has worked with local clammers to grow clams and place them in the Rowley River in Rowley and Ipswich, where they have continued to mature and reproduce.

"It jumped from nothing in 2000 to 12 1/2 acres in cultivation now," said Joe Buttner, a biology professor at Salem State. "It's perpetuating a tradition and creating a commercial industry."

Jack Grundstrom, a third-generation clammer and the Rowley shellfish constable, said aquaculture is "a benefit we didn't expect." He has worked with the aquaculture center on restocking the river for several years.

"Now, we're at the point we're taking some payback," said Grundstrom, whose children and grandchildren also clam, making it a five-generation tradition in the family. "Things are looking really good."

Buttner is trying to spread the word to consumers about the existence and quality of local clams and other seafood. "Why not buy Ipswich steamers from Ipswich, not Maine or New Jersey," he said.

He said Salem State is also growing several thousand mussels in waters off Gloucester.

"We're working with communities," Buttner said. "They identify a concern or opportunity, and we sit down and talk about ways to create better, new realities."

WENDY KILLEEN